The federal government's climate target is now enshrined in law.
That means that by 2030, Australia's greenhouse gas emissions need to be 43 per cent lower than they were in 2005.
While stronger than the 26-28 per cent target it's replacing, the bill only got the required crossbench support on the proviso that 43 per cent was a floor, not a ceiling.
Today, the Climate Council has released what it calls a "plug-and-play" road map for policymakers to smash through the ceiling.
According to the report, 10 "game-changing" focuses can begin to drive emissions toward a 75 per cent reduction on 2005 levels by 2030, and to achieve "net-zero emissions shortly after".
"What we're proposing here is a plan to see pollution drop much more quickly," Climate Council chief executive officer Amanda McKenzie said.
"We've had 10 years of inaction, so there's a lot of catching up to do."
100 per cent renewable grid supply
Burning fossil fuels is the biggest contributor to greenhouse gases in Australia. So, bringing enough renewables online to meet the demand of the grid is where the biggest gains can be made.
But we don't just need enough electricity to meet today's demands. Data quoted in today's report estimates we'll be using around 42 per cent more electricity by 2031.
The first cab off the rank in the Climate Council's list of 10 is to aim for near 100 per cent renewables by 2030.
It's a huge undertaking, requiring not just investment in clean-energy technology, but boosting transmission by a total length of around "24 times" the current system.
As it stands, the federal government estimates the $20 billion Rewiring the Nation investment should get renewable penetration to around 82 per cent by 2030.
While that's a good start, economist Nicki Hutley from the Climate Council said we need to be more ambitious.
"Nothing gets done if you don't plan for it to get done. I'd rather we planned [for more renewables] and fell short a little bit."
Boosting energy storage
When the Sun doesn't shine and the wind doesn't blow, we can still get our electricity from renewables, provided we have enough storage.
Alongside a renewable energy target, today's report said there needed to be a renewable energy storage target "by the end of 2023".
Storage options include "pumped hydro, grid-scale batteries, community batteries, and behind-the-metre batteries that form part of a Virtual Power Plant — that is any battery system that is accessible and controllable to support grid security and resilience".
Adequate storage is critical to provide support and stability for the grid.
"You can't have one without the other. It's the proverbial horse and carriage," Ms Hutley said.
Supporting coal communities to transition
Another recommendation is that public funding for coal, oil and gas should end.
Ms Hutley said we shouldn't be supporting fossil fuel industry companies with public finances "any more than we do big tobacco".
"Over the last few years, [public funding for the fossil fuel industry] averaged around $11 billion a year," she said.
"[Stopping that funding] is not going to put the budget back in surplus, but it's a significant amount."
At the same time though, the report stressed the importance of supporting coal and gas communities to transition to clean energy industries, and to upskill workers for those jobs.
Tony Wolfe, a coal worker in the La Trobe Valley, has been in the industry for over 40 years.
He says the coal workforce is extremely proud of the role they've played in powering the country, but there is a shift in the mood toward looking for opportunities in renewables.
"We've got this amazing opportunity to move ahead with a cleaner, safer fuel source," he said.
"The latest estimate is that there's between $33 and $40 billion worth of renewable projects in various stages of planning [in the region] — mainly offshore wind."
He said it's critical that the community embraces that, and that there's support for upskilling.
"Heaps of the jobs currently in the power generation sector — electricians, fitter and turners, boiler makers and engineers — are totally transferable."
The Climate Council recommends a National Energy Transition Authority to help regional communities reap the most benefits from the transition:
"This authority would work in collaboration with agencies based in coal and gas regions to support economic diversification and retraining aligned with the priorities and strengths of different communities."
Mandatory fuel efficiency standards ASAP
As it currently stands, Australia is one of the few OECD countries not to have vehicle fuel efficiency standards.
Many industry experts say this is at least part of the reason why we struggle to get a sufficient supply of electric vehicles into the country.
One model for fuel efficiency standards is to put a cap on the total average emissions per vehicle that a particular manufacturer sells on the Australian market.
That doesn't mean they can't sell high-emissions vehicles, but that there's an incentive for them to also push electric or low-emissions vehicles, so that their overall average sits below the cap.
The sooner we introduce fuel efficiency standards, the sooner we increase electric vehicle supply and drive transport emissions down, the report said.
Jake Whitehead, head of policy at the Electric Vehicle Council, told the ABC that transitioning to electric vehicles would also give us autonomy over energy supply.
"What we're talking about here is building a [transport] system that's entirely dependent on Australian energy," said Dr Whitehead, who wasn't involved with the report.
Electrify public transport
While we're on transport, there's a much cleaner option than driving an electric vehicle, and that's not driving a vehicle at all.
Today's report estimates that rapidly switching to zero-tailpipe-emissions buses and other public transport, would bring savings in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Those savings mostly come from the "health and social costs" of air pollution.
There are also opportunities for Australia to become a "sustainable EV making powerhouse", given our rich reserves of many of the minerals used in the manufacture of electric vehicles, the report said.
To achieve a swift transition to electric public transport, the Climate Council suggests the federal government matches dollar-for-dollar investments from the states and territories.
Electrifying and boosting the public transport system, combined with vehicle emissions standards and investing in bike lane infrastructure, can help put a big dent in our national transport emissions, according to report co-author Simon Bradshaw.
"We need to be electrifying much more quickly than is currently planned," Dr Bradshaw said.
"[And] we need to be investing overall much more in public transport."
Overhaul the safeguard mechanism
Australia has a safeguard mechanism that requires polluting industries to keep their emissions below a predetermined limit.
"The main thing at the moment is the [emissions] ceiling is too high," Ms Hutley said.
There are also issues around how we measure emissions — whether by intensity or overall production — and the use of offsets by companies looking to circumvent limits.
Today's report recommends strengthening the safeguard mechanism, and closing loopholes, to ensure major polluters "do their fair share".
Other recommendations on the list include developing a climate and energy investment plan, mandating that new buildings are net-zero, and retrofitting existing buildings with electric infrastructure to replace gas.
